U21 | Beware Judgment Trap When Decrying Injustice

I do not so
much have a problem when it comes to those on the margins or those who many
Christians most often judge, but I have a judgement problem against
conservatives.

I am a senior
at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. I have dealt with a lot in my
three-plus years at this institution, and I have been angered and hurt by the
university.

I have had
pastors try to convince me that I am unsaved to save me again, I have heard
toxic politicians speak from the convocation stage, and I have seen professors
demean women who are sitting in their classrooms.

Seeing all of
this on a daily basis is difficult, and I have learned how to speak up against
some of the injustices that I see on my campus.

I do this by
having conversations with people and trying to get them to see gray in this
complex world.

But in my hurt
and in my anger, I do something that is wrong. I often times lump all
conservatives in a box, label them as wrong and label me as right. When I do
this, I lose my humility and some of my humanity.

I don’t look at
my own imperfections and my own hypocrisy. Instead, I just see the imperfections
and hypocrisy of the Southern Baptist Convention.

I have often
referred to my denomination (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) as the “good
Baptists.” What do I gain by this other than blowing up my own pride and
putting down sisters and brothers in the SBC?

I also will
take to Twitter, making unkind remarks on people’s posts – trying to lower them
while raising myself.

I’ve come to
recognize that all of this hatred and anger coming from me is completely
counter to the gospel of love and kindness that Jesus preaches.

I have become
my own kind of Pharisee, but one who judges people by their inability to see
gray, or judges someone who does not accept the same people that I accept. I
have done this while increasing in pride.

I want to make
sure I am not misunderstood: It is very clear in the Bible that God calls us to
speak out against injustice. I am a firm believer in this.

We need to
speak out when we see Franklin Graham using shoeboxes to get rich, or when we
see Jerry Falwell Jr. support hateful rhetoric from political leaders.

But when we
speak out against injustices in our world, we need to do so with a sense of
humility, and a heartfelt longing for people to change for the better.

The biblical
prophets offered both critique and consolation – speaking forcefully about
societal injustice and calling out its perpetrators while also expressing a genuine
desire for offenders to repent, to change by casting a vision for both
individual and social redemption that could follow such turning.

I encourage
those who are reading this article to continue to fight injustice, to persist
in speaking up for the marginalized and oppressed. But when we do this, we
should not allow ourselves to become prideful.

We should not
allow ourselves to think that in some way we are better or deserve more than
our conservative sisters and brothers because one day we will have to share
heaven with them.

Editor’s note: This article is part of a
series focused on engaging emerging faith leaders. Learn more about
EthicsDaily.com’s “Emerging Voices” and “U:21” series here.